1 - Royal Opera House
Built on Freedom Square in 1866, the Royal Opera House was considered one of Valletta’s most iconic buildings before its destruction during the Second World War. The ruins have been converted into an open-air theatre where plays and other performances are held during the warm summer months.
2 - Monument to La Valette
3 - Victory Church
The Our Lady of Victory Church was the first church and building completed in Valletta. The site of the Victory Church is where the foundation stone of the new city of Valletta was laid in March 1566.
4 - Castille Square
Castille Square is the largest square in Valletta. It is located on Saint James Bastion, close to the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
5 - Auberge de Castille
The Auberge de Castille is the building on Castille Square that currently houses the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta. It was built by the authority of the magistrate Manuel Pinto da Fonseca in the 1740s in the Spanish Baroque style.
6 - St James Cavalier
Saint James Cavalier is a fort in Valletta built by the governing Order of Saint John in the 16th century and it overlooks Saint James Bastion.
7 - La Borsa - Malta Stock Exchange
The Malta Stock Exchange, originally known as the Casino della Borsa, is the stock exchange of Malta. The building was designed by T.M. Ellis and built in 1857.
8 - Upper Barrakka Gardens
The Upper Barrakka Gardens, situated on Saint Ursula’s Street, is a park that is twinned with the Lower Barrakka Gardens, both of which offer panoramic views of the Grand Harbour. The Upper Gardens form the upper tier of Saints Peter and Paul Bastion which was built in the 1560s.
9 - The Saluting Battery
The Saluting Battery is an artillery platform in Valletta. It was built from limestone in the 16th century by the Order of Saint John on or near the site of an Ottoman battery from the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.
10 - The Lascaris War Rooms
The Lascaris War Rooms is an underground complex of tunnels and rooms that was the home of the headquarters of the island’s war effort during the Second World War. Later used by NATO (The North Atlantic Trade Organisation), the complex is now open to the public as a museum.
11 - St. Paul's Shipwreck Church
The Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Valletta. It is another great example of the architectural work of Girolamo Cassar who designed the church in the 1570s before it was completed at the end of 1582.
12 - Old University of Malta
The Old University Building served as the original campus of the University of Malta and was built in 1595 at which point it was home to the Melitense Societatis Jesu, also known as the Maltese Jesuit Society. The building sustained damage from a gunpowder factory explosion in 1634 and then an earthquake in 1693.
13 - Church of the Jesuits
14 - Is-Suq Tal-Belt - Valletta Food Market
Is-Suq tal-Belt is the main city market of Valletta and is also referred to as the Covered Market since it is located in a huge market hall in the center of the city. The market hall was built in the early 19th century and is made mostly of iron and it sustained some severe damage during the World War 2 air raids.
16 - Monte Di Pieta'
The Monte de Pieta building is a 16th century Mannerist building that can be found at no. 46 Merchants Street in the heart of Valletta. Like most of the buildings in this style, the interior has been redecorated and refurbished in the Baroque style.
17 - Nelson's Hook
Nelson’s Hook is a crooked piece of metal attached to the wall at the corner of Merchant Street and St. John Street. There are many myths surrounding one of the smallest points of interest in Malta and the exact purpose of the hook is still unknown.
18 - St. John's Co-Cathedral
St. John’s Co-Cathedral is one of the defining architectural landmarks of Valletta. It is a Catholic co-cathedral that was designed by the prominent Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar. The Co-Cathedral of St. John is also the current home of Italian painter Caravaggio’s “The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist”.
19 - Castellania
The Castellania was originally built by the Order of St. John between 1757 and 1760 to be the courthouse and prison of Valletta. Before it was erected, the site had served as the location of an ancient courthouse since 1572
20 - Palazzo Parisio
The Palazzo Parisio is a palace built in the 1740s that is also referred to as Casa Parisio, located directly across the street from the Auberge d’Italie.
21 - Auberge D'Italie - MUZA Museum
The Auberge d’Italie was first built as the headquarters for the knights of the Order of St. John coming from Italy more than 500 years ago. It is characterized by its Mannerist style that has been overlaid with Baroque touches since it was restored in the 1680s. Nowadays its main draw is the National Museum of Fine Arts, or MUZA
